Psychological Stress: 7 Ways to overcome Stress

According to the Global organization for stress statistics (GOSS), around 75 % of people experience moderate to high-stress levels. Eighty percent of people feel Psychological stress at their workplace. 

As per the survey report by the American institute of stress statistics(AISS), about 33 percent of people feel extreme stress, and around 77 percent of people feel anxious about their physical health. About 73 percent of people have stress which affects their mental health. About 33 percent of people have trouble sleeping due to stress.

There is a perceived stress scale to evaluate the stress levels of American adults. The average stress level is 10.2 out of 30, 0 is no stress, and 30 belongs to the highest level of stress. Men and women had different levels of stress. As per this stress scale, women are more stressed than men. 

What is stress? 

Stress is pressure or tension exerted on a person’s mind. Stress is not something new to the person. Stress is what happens even with small things. There are two kinds of stress:-

1. Physical stress.
2. Psychological stress.

Physical stress is something about physical problems like- an infection, injury, etc.

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Definition of psychological stress.

Psychological stress defines what people experience when they are under mental, physical, or emotional pressure. Psychological stress refers to emotional and psychological reactions. Examples of psychological stress are:- abuse, the death of loved ones, health problems, etc. In psychological stress, there are no physical symptoms or diseases. Psychological stress is something that everyone experiences in their lives. Sometimes stress may be short-term such as the official deadline work. 

Nowadays, stress can happen on small things. Today’s life is so hasty that people get stressed in small talk. Psychological stress is stress that affects the mind more than the body. Everyone has their own experiences or journey of stress. 

In psychological stress, the body releases stress hormones such as epinephrine or norepinephrine. It causes an increase in heart rate, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure.

Types of psychological stress:- 

1. Routine stress:- Routine stress is related to the pressure of school, work, relationships, and other responsibilities.
2. Sudden negative stress:- This stress included divorce, loss of a job, illness, or financial difficulty. This stress builds high-impact stress on the brain & which leads to a disbalance of health, or sometimes it will be a disaster that causes death.
3. Traumatic stress:- Traumatic stress causes due to a crucial incident happening in your life. For example:- an accident, assault, disaster, or an event where someone is fearful.

Symptoms of the stress

1. Mood changes.
2. Dizziness.
3. Difficulty sleeping.
4. Headaches.
5. Low energy.
6. Physical aches and pains.
7. Anxiety.

These are the signs of stress, but there is a question of “how to identify stress.” These signs are such that it is common in day-to-day life. 

How to identify stress?

Stress does not simply identify. We had to find that and make sure we should get over from stress. There are many symptoms, but these signs are common nowadays, so we have to realize how to find out about stress. 

These signs you watch for:- 

Psychological signs are having anxiety issues about insignificant things, difficulty understanding something, difficulty concentrating on the work, worrying about minor things, and difficulty remembering things.

Emotional signs are being angry, crying, irritated all the time, moody, unhappy, hopeless, or frustrated.

Physical signs are high blood pressure, muscle tension, digestive problems, fatigue, change in weight, change in the menstrual cycle, and libido.

Behavioural signs are poor self-care, not having time for things you enjoy, and drinking alcohol. 

These are the signs divided into categories to understand and find out the stress you face. If you think these symptoms are inside you, discuss them with a psychiatrist or do self-healing care. 

What is the impact of stress on our daily lives?

Stress makes everyday life difficult. Several times stress affects our mental health also. Each and everything is connected. For example:- if your mental health goes down, then your physical health also goes down, so, like, all these things are connected. There is stress in everyday life in every way, but sometimes that stress increases at a very high level and becomes problematic. Due to stress, we face issues such as less concentration at work, headaches, losing eyesight, etc.

When the brain experiences a high level of stress, your body reacts according to your brain, so it is clear both mental and physical health are connected. Having problems with this health, & also affects the social life or personal life(relationship) of a person. When there is a problem with these two health, social life will also be affected, due to which our workspace will also be affected. Personal life is also affected When you are in a relationship with someone, your stress also affects him, and due to this, you and your partner face problems. Because of this, the person becomes mentally and physically weak & which will make a large bang on the person’s life.

Ways to overcome Psychological Stress

1. Balance your life:- The most important thing is to have a balanced life; if there is no balance & then life becomes hell. Therefore, the first step to avoiding stress is to balance your life. Fix your daily routine so that you can feel fresh & you do not have stress while working. Divide your time like this, so you do not have to be busy all day. If you work a lot, this will reduce your work productivity and then give you stress. 
2. Talk to the people you trust:- After you’ve divided your time, you can talk to those you trust and tell them about your problem to motivate yourself. It will help you to keep yourself positive and motivated.
3. Eat balanced and regular meals:- Food is your big point to keep yourself away from stress. Take a proper diet in which healthy foods are involved the most and start avoiding junk foods. Do not skip your meals because skipping meals can lower your blood sugar level & can depress your mood. 
4. Do exercises or yoga daily:- Exercising reduces stress, which gives you positive energy that keeps you away from stress. Doing yoga is better than doing gym because yoga helps in reducing depression and pain. When you exercise, your body releases feel-good hormones that help in keeping you fresh and keep you away from stress. Yoga reduces stress reactivity.
5. Taking therapy sessions:- You can also reduce your stress through therapy sessions, so you can consult a doctor and take therapy sessions from them. Therapy is:-
6. Cognitive behavioural therapy(CBT):- Cognitive behavioural therapy is a talk therapy that helps to reduce stress management. This therapy focuses on your feelings, emotions, and thoughts & behaviour. Fundamentally in this therapy, psychotherapists try to change your thoughts & try to improve your mental well-being and boost confidence.
7. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy(MBCT):- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is also focused on your feelings and thoughts. Still, at the same time, they also pay attention to their surroundings and environment. Under this therapy, Along with talk therapy, meditation is also done. In this therapy, they found out how much your surroundings affect your mind and behaviour.